Buffy The Vampire Slayer

You just can’t keep a good Slayer down. Recent rumours suggest that Buffy Summers and the remnants of her Scooby Gang could well be heading for cinema screens in the near future - over five years since Joss Whedon’s legendary television series concluded. But do the actors really need to exhume their old characters for a career boost? Cult Spy looks at how the Sunnydale dwellers, or at least those who weren’t killed off early, have fared since leaving the wonderful world of wooden stakes.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy)

The blonde bombshell’s desire to move on to pastures new was often cited as the reason for Buffy ending, but Gellar didn’t initially stray too far from the show’s supernatural leanings. 2004 horror film The Grudge, in which Gellar played the lead, was a major box office smash to go along with the commercial success of her two spooky Scooby-Doo flicks.

Since then though, Gellar has been the box office equivalent of a Buffy Big Bad. Not even playing a pornstar in Southland Tales - director Richard Kelly’s hugely anticipated Donnie Darko follow-up - could lure in the punters. Other flops followed in the shape of The Air I Breathe and Suburban Girl, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to hear that she’s planning a small screen retreat in HBO’s The Wonder Maladys, a drama that deals with parental loss, in 2009.

In need of Buffy movie career boost?: Probably

David Boreanaz (Angel)

There was still a year left of LA-based spinoff show Angel to run after Buffy concluded in 2003, and it looked like Boreanaz couldn’t avoid juicy steaks as well as he dodged wooden stakes - for the pounds piled on. He soon regained his old trim physique and won the lead as FBI Agent Seeley Booth in forensic television drama Bones.

The show, which attracts sizeable audience numbers stateside, is currently in its fourth season. Less impressive is Boreanaz’s film career. He’s made several cinematic entities post-Buffy, but how many can you name? Exactly.

In need of Buffy movie career boost?: Not really

Alyson Hannigan (Willow)

Hannigan perhaps used one of Willow’s spells to ensure she became a staple of hit American teen flicks shortly after Buffy ended, with key parts in the American Pie trilogy and Date Movie. A recurring part in Veronica Mars, which shared many traits with a certain Sunnydale-based show, kept her fans happy. However, a starring role in CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother has propelled her into the limelight again. Now in its fourth season and bolstered by a couple of Britney Spears cameos, the programme attracts an impressive 10 million viewers.

In need of Buffy movie career boost?: Not right now

Nicholas Brendon (Xander)

With his disarming smile and comic timing, it’s a surprise that Brendon has failed so spectacularly to capitalise on his Buffy success. A vehicle entitled Kitchen Confidential lasted only four episodes before getting the chop, while battles with the bottle didn’t help his career prospects.

A couple of very obscure movies have helped things to tick along, plus a guest appearance last year in mainstream TV show Criminal Minds did at least jog the memory of a few viewers as to his existence on the planet.

In need of Buffy movie career boost?: Yes, yes, yes

Anthony Head (Giles)

The housewives’ favourite has swapped the libraries and magic shops of Sunnydale for a range of BBC projects that have certainly raised his mainstream profile in the United Kingdom and finally laid to rest the ’Gold Blend ad man’ stigma. Currently playing the callous yet occasionally compassionate King Uther Pendragon in Merlin, the legend turned a few heads with his recurring roles as the poor Prime Minister in Little Britain.

Head also fronted drama The Invisibles and excellently portrayed shapeshifting Krillitane Mr. Finch in the Doctor Who episode ’School Reunion’. However, his big screen ambitions took a hit when scheduling issues forced Tim Burton to massively cut down his role in Sweeney Todd, while the curiously titled Repo! The Genetic Opera has struggled to secure decent distribution - despite the on-screen pairing of Head and Paris Hilton!

In need of Buffy movie career boost? Nope

Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn)

The cute actress starred in gross-out teen ’comedy’ Eurotrip in 2004, trading the innocence of Buffy’s younger sister for a far more sexualised part. Since then, she’s predominantly focused on television roles that are similarly detached from the good-natured Dawn.

Most notably, she played a popstar brat in several episodes of the acclaimed Six Feet Under and a nasty cow in Gossip Girl. This partially makes up for her appearance in the catastrophic movie remake of Black Christmas, although hopes are still high for a big screen career as she stars alongside Zac Efron in upcoming flick 17 Again.

In need of Buffy movie career boost? Definitely maybe

James Marsters (Spike)

Since sparing his follicles from more peroxide, Marsters has used his charisma (not Carpenter!) in two key cult roles that strongly echo the detestable but loveable ambiguity of Spike. First up was the part of baddie Brainiac in Smallville, followed by Captain John in Torchwood.

Despite his advancing years (which doesn’t bode well for playing a non-aging vampire), Marsters still has the old swagger. He also played a supporting role in the movie P.S. I Love You, regularly tours with his band and can next be seen as the baddie, under heavy make-up, in the film Dragonball.

In need of Buffy movie career boost? A little push would help

Eliza Dushku (Faith)

Randy rogue slayer Faith was one character screaming out for an Angel-style spinoff, but instead Dushku graduated to short-lived series Tru Calling - a tenuously named show about a morgue worker called Tru speaking to dead people. A similarly morbid project was 2003 horror film Wrong Turn - a moderate commercial success bolstered by Dushku donning a tight, white vest in tru Bruce Willis style.

A string of lesser profile projects followed, including stage roles and video game appearances. However, her career received a massive boost when Buffy creator Joss Whedon snapped her up as the lead in his new (and much delayed) Dollhouse series.

In need of Buffy movie career boost? The answer lies in the Dollhouse

Emma Caulfield (Anya)

Okay, so events in the Buffy finale might not bode well for her return, but stranger things have happened on the show. Unlike several of her co-stars, Caulfield managed to steer clear of roles in other cult shows - although this did involve staking herself in the foot when she turned down offers to audition for the roles of Starbuck and Number Six in the superb Battlestar Galactica.

She’s since admitted her frankly fracking crazy decision. Still, she did star in horror film Darkness Falls, which did soar to the heights of first place on the US box office.

In need of Buffy movie career boost? Yes, but not as much as her former on-screen boyfriend